Extra -A McRoll in the REAL World Story
by Mari217
Summary: Steve reminds Catherine of a time when she was a bit more careful than usual.


_This one goes out to my "Twitter Godson", for his birthday. Happy birthday, Brad! May you have a terrific year, you deserve it._

_Thanks again to all our REAL McRollers! We are __**so**__ flattered by the all the positive responses and wonderful reviews. You make us happier than you'll ever know._

_Sammy & Ilna, thanks for letting me bounce this one off you until I found my ending. You are the ultimate Teammates! Thanks, too for … well, everything!_

_Love to all, and since every review is like a hug from Nonna, I'm sending one back to you!  
Nonna hugs, Xox Mari_

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**McGarrett/Rollins Residence  
10:00 p.m.**

Catherine turned off the water and dropped her toothbrush in its holder. She twisted in front of the vanity mirror to see the back of her arm and shoulder. The abrasions weren't too red and didn't hurt much beyond soreness but they'd leave a mark. She shrugged; another scar for her collection.

"Hey, are you okay?" Steve stepped out of the shower and gently touched his fingers to the area. He took the large band-aid from her hand, peeled it, and put it on.

"Thanks. It's fine. I'm gonna catch up to you in the scar department, though." She smiled. As long as it wasn't a serious injury, Catherine didn't mind. Not really. She caught his expression. "I'm fine."

Steve's arms wrapped around her and he looked at their faces in the mirror. "I know. I'm just … relieved." He huffed out a breath.

A suspect had blasted through a barn-like door and Steve and Catherine had dodged the shots and flying fragments of wood, but several slivers had torn the skin on the back of her arm.

Steve had been in front of her, and the back and side of his vest caught most of the debris. He was wearing long sleeves and had a few scrapes, but was pretty much unscathed. Catherine's vest had been pummeled as well, but it didn't protect her bare arm when she'd turned to shield her face from the blast. It was a fairly minor wound, requiring bandaging but no stitches.

When Steve had seen the blood seeping through Catherine's fingers as she held her arm at the scene, his heart had stopped and turned over before it resumed like a jackhammer in his chest.

Once he'd assured himself Catherine was fine and she'd gotten cleaned up, it was back to HQ and business as usual, but the day had been a long one and they were both relieved to be home.

He kissed Catherine's hair before she turned in his arms. "Steve. I really am fine." Her eyes dilated, making them appear darker. "But …" She tiptoed up to kiss his chin. "You _could_ kiss it and make it even better."

Steve full-on smiled, knowing she _was_ fine if she was teasing him. She'd never lie to him about an injury. He knew that, and relief washed over him again almost as strongly as it did at the scene. He lowered his head and brushed his lips across her shoulder, above the injured arm. "Better?"

"Mmm hmm." She turned and pulled him flush against her, kissing him with intent. "But I may need additional treatment."

"If you insist." His eyes glinted with mischief. "Can you show me … exactly … where else it hurts?"

Catherine guided him into the bedroom, her lips on his, her fingers running from his chest to his shoulders. As the back of Steve's legs made contact with the mattress, his eyes landed on the blue prescription sheet next to the extra large Band-Aids on her night table. He was almost completely lost in her touch when an old memory surfaced. He stilled his hands and said against her mouth, "Wait, wait. Cath, do I need to run to CVS?"

"What?" She blinked up at him, confused. She was more than a little dazed from his ministrations, and moaned in frustration when his hands stopped moving.

"They gave you an antibiotic … for the wound."

"Got plenty till Monday." She looked puzzled. Even if she'd needed more, she was certainly well enough to go herself. "I don't have to go to CVS. I _promise_ I feel fine. _Way_ better than fine." Her hands slid down his naked back and she pressed against him, grinning when a low rumble sounded in his throat. "Resume this op, Commander, and I'll prove it."

His breath hitched but he ground out, "But, I mean ... I remember you telling me once that antibiotics mess up birth control pills."

"I did, didn't I?" She let out a sigh and smiled at how Steve never forgot _anything_.

"When we spent that ten days in Bournemouth. You'd gotten a few stitches and were on an antibiotic. You were pissed because you said you were bloated when we went to the beach." He shook his head "You looked beautiful. But you said the antibiotic messed up your … um … cycle."

"It did, but it wasn't an issue, because we … as you used to say, 'had two goalies at the gate' back then." She laughed and kissed him again.

"Yeah, well, we don't have condoms in the house anymore, so …"

"You …" She kissed him again "Are incredibly sweet, but it's fine. It's a _topical_ antibiotic."

"Okay, just asking before …" He motioned at their flush bodies.

"Thank you, but I'm good." She pushed him gently until he landed on the bed. "_We're_ good." She pounced on him. "Stop talking and let me show you how good."

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**Later**

Steve shifted slightly for the second time in as many minutes. Catherine didn't stop tracing her fingers along the V-line to his hip as she lay tucked into his left side, but when he moved that second time and chuckled, she murmured, "What?"

"Just remembering a condom discussion from a very long time ago."

"Hey." She clucked her tongue at him, because, as usual, she knew _exactly_ what he was referring to. "No one wants an oops; but academy women start worrying as soon as we're accepted. We get pregnant, we're out."

Steve nodded. He knew very well about the stringent guidelines of the Naval Academy. "You don't have to remind me. A midshipman gets pregnant, even if she _wants_ to get married, it doesn't matter, she's expelled, either way." He was well aware of the 'no dependents' rule in all five of the US Service Academies.

"Guys could buy time, not admit to a baby being theirs till a DNA test, but a girl would be exposed as soon as she started to show."

"Any guy who'd do that shouldn't be there anyway." Steve shook his head, a hard look in his eyes.

"True, but there are assholes everywhere. Point is,_ no one, _male or female, who works as hard as we did to get into the Academy would blow it over the 'no dependents' rule and get married, but I didn't know a single female Midshipman who wasn't _diligent_ with birth control. That diligence sticks with a person, long after graduation."

"Of course." Steve agreed. "_You_ were just being … _extra_ diligent when we had that discussion." He kissed the top of her head.

Catherine felt Steve's chuckle before it reached her ears and she lifted her head. "Are you mocking me, McGarrett?" She couldn't mask the amusement in her voice.

"Never." He placed another kiss in her hair.

"I was twenty-two and embarking on my first plum assignment. I was fast tracked for promotion because of that duty."

"Which you deserved." Steve leaned in to kiss her lips and began chuckling anew.

"I was being ... _responsible_." Catherine tried hard to maintain her composure by biting the inside of her cheek, but her shoulders began to shake with suppressed laughter.

"Very responsible." Steve's tone was playful. "_Extra_ responsible, even."

"And … careful." She looked away to hide her grin.

"_Careful?_ You wanted me to wear _two_ condoms …" His eyes crinkled with mirth. "_At_ _once._" Steve's laughter burst forth and echoed through the room. "_And_ you were on the pill."

Catherine's own laughter erupted. She turned in his arms and smacked Steve teasingly on the chest. "Shut up. Okay, so I admit I was being a little overly careful before that particular assignment."

"Ya think?"

"Until I looked it up." She snickered again.

"And I was …" he led, coercing a response and kissing the shell of her ear.

"Right." She admitted grudgingly.

"Sorry, I didn't quite hear you." Steve pulled her closer, until they were nose-to-nose.

"Right." She huffed, but her smile gave her away "You were _right_. Wearing two condoms together makes them more likely to break. _You_ were right. Happy?"

"Yes, actually." His next kiss was playful, with a loud smacking sound. "I'm always happy to be right." He said smugly.

"Smartass." She poked him in the abs and giggled again. "You were gonna do it."

"Yes, I was." Steve's expression was still jovial, but his eyes sobered briefly. "Because you asked. I'd have done anything you asked."

"I know. Thank you." She slid her hand up to caress his cheek.

"For not making fun of you then?"

"For being willing to go along with my pre-assignment paranoia."

"Hey, everyone's a little nuts before their first big op. You were an ensign joining an intel team with three lieutenant commanders and a captain. I knew why you were stressing."

Catherine nodded, and thought back to meeting up with Steve at the completion of that twelve week mission. "I _relaxed_ afterwards."

Steve kissed her. "That you did. And I'm _extra_ glad you … relaxed … with me." His fingers skirted up and down her tummy.

"And I was …" Catherine giggled as she emphasized the word; "_extra_ glad you surprised me on my week of leave in Tahiti." "

"Even if we didn't see much of the island?" Steve smirked.

"Saw what I needed to make me _extra_ happy." Catherine kissed him back.

"Well, we did see the beaches and we even made dinner a few times." He grinned as he began to nibble a trail from her neck to her collarbone.

"Not what I meant."

"Don't remember you wanting to see anything special. What did you _need_ to see?" He mumbled against her skin before raising his head to look in her eyes. She looked so content, and happy, and beautiful, Steve moved to kiss her. Catherine put her fingers to his lips and he raised an eyebrow in question.

"_You_. At my door." She felt his smile as she kissed him. "Just you. All I've ever needed."

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_End. Thanks for reading._

_Mari_


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